California's Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

This New Years we finally had a chance to drive up California's Pacific Coast Highway. I can see now why it's considered one of the most scenic highways, with the ocean on one side and the beautiful green landscape on the other. We drove from Los Angeles to Carmel-By-The-Sea and along the way we stopped at some amazing places. 

Day 1

Our first stop was in Los Almos in Santa Barbara County. This place use to be a popular stage coach stop from 1861-1901 and recently gained popularity as weekend destination for wine tasting and great food. 

Bob's Well Bakery in Los Almos

Our second stop was to see the hundreds of Elephant Seals in San Simeon. Although it wasn't planed to stop here, this ended up being the highlight of our trip. It was amazing to see how massive they were.

Elephant Seals in San Simeon

To avoid driving the winding roads in the dark, we decided to drive straight to our hotel in Carmel-By-The-Sea. After we checked in, we visited the town for sea food and moscow mules. 

DAY 2

We woke up early and visited the charming town one more time for our caffine fix and a bite to eat. Although we had visited Carmel when we were young, we hadn't remember how charming this seaside town was. 

Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur

Our first stop of the day was to visit McWay Falls in Pfeiffer Burns State Park This is an iconic site in Big Sur. It's a great reminder how beautiful mother nature really is. 

McCoy Falls in Big Sur

Next stop was to some wineries for some drinks. Paso Robles is one of many places in California for wine tasting. We visited two wineries and sipped on some great wines. 

Parrish Family Vineyard 

Since we had never visited San Luis Obispo, we decided to spend our last night there. For some reason I had never had any interest to visit this town, but I didn't know what I was missing out on. This is without a doubt a California hidden gem.

Day 3 

After breakfast, we took a tour around the SLO Missionary. I love visiting the California Missionaries since they hold so much history. 

For those who live in California and even if you don't, I would highly recommend this drive to anyone and also wouldn't mind doing it one more time. 

- Denise